A to Z: Neck bridge supine, neck-smr, and narrow squats

For how common the letter “N” is, there isn’t a lot of variety in “N” exercises. Many of the exercises are variations of one another and/or require machinery to complete. And unfortunately, the only “N” body part is your neck, so while there are some strength training and stretching exercises, many start with a letter other than “N” or are ones I have already completed.

But there are a few options I did find: Neck bridge supine, neck-smr, and narrow squats. Due to a recent injury to my knees, I wasn’t able to complete the squats but did manage to attempt the other two. Key word is attempt. To make up for my inability to complete some exercises, I went for a walk on a NICE day. Take that, “N.”

Neck bridge supine

Basically the same as a glute bridge, but with the neck bridge supine, eventually you are SUPPOSED to eventually put your weight on your head. I wasn’t able to do this, not strong enough and could feel some tension on my knees. So maybe this is something I can work up to.

Neck-smr

Again, I have to adhoc this neck-smr exercise. It called for a muscle roller or rolling pin and I only had my foam roller which is far too big. I tried and kind of found place of tension but not ideal.

Narrow squats

The goal for narrow squats is to have your legs as close together as possible, ideally with knees touching. I found these both on bodybuilding.com and the Crank Health & Fitness pdf. The bodybuilding.com version has you use weights, while the Crank Health & Fitness version doesn’t.

Here is the Crank version:

Final Verdict

I would love to try the neck-smr again once having the right roller. And my walk today was BEAUTIFUL. Weather was 75F and sunny with a nice breeze. Perfect weather, especially for it being mid-April in Minnesota.

Health point challenge: Success (I met it with my walk!)

Do you know of any good exercises that start with the letter “N”? Have you every tried any of these? What do you like to do when you cannot get your normal exercise routine in?